


Pearlie Darling You're My Best Friend

by RGBStar



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Background ships are there but take em as you want, F/F, High School AU, Human AU, Marina tries her best, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-14 12:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17508941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RGBStar/pseuds/RGBStar
Summary: “I’m sure your crush is gonna love it. I’ll cut a bitch if they don’t!” Pearl cracked her knuckles as if she was in front of the person.“Pearl no I-“ Marina tried to cut in, she had it all wrong!





	Pearlie Darling You're My Best Friend

“Perfect.” Marina clasped her hands together, grabbing her keyboard and gently zipping it up in its case. 

She had everything in place, she just had to ask Pearl. Ask Pearl, god she didn’t think Marina from last year could’ve asked Pearl out. 

Marina from last year would probably be still stuttering in her native language and shying away. She’d be jumpy at every move from Pearl, thinking her insane. 

Now though, she was insanely in lo- she liked Pearl a lot. Enough to spend dawn to dawn on this song and feel like she’d carved a piece of her heart into it. 

Although, the hook of the chorus could use some fine tuning. It didn’t flow as well as she had imagined in her head. 

No no, she had already decided it was as perfect as it could get. This was the day! Marina couldn’t back off just because it was itching at her brain to change it now. 

She wouldn’t throw away her chance to confess on the most lovey dovey day of the year. Even if it nagged at her to fix it just a tad, Marina brushed it off like unwelcome dust on her bookshelf. 

She opened up their group chat, taking a deep breath and quickly typing out her question. 

6:59

Marina: Do you want to hang out after school? 

Pearl: hell yes! i’m sick of sitting around the house 

Marina: We’ll be taking my bike, did you need to drop anything off at home? 

7:15

Marina: Pearl? Are you there? 

7:33 

Text from Unknown Number 

???: hey it’s me, no i don’t gotta drop stuff off 

Marina: Why are you using a new phone? 

???: wrecked my screen again, cya at school 

Marina: K, see ya :) 

Marina shook her head, Pearl was notorious for maiming almost every item on her person. She wondered if she would be yet another metaphorical casualty if things didn’t go well today. Grabbing her book bag, she set off for school with emotions bubbling in her chest. 

Pastel ribbons hung from the ceiling along with bunches of brightly scattered cupids. People were carrying candy, stuffed animals of all sorts, mostly bears, and chatting about dates. 

Marina was a sucker for all this cutesy sentimentality that seemed to spread like the plague. Well, barring the prowling teachers hunting down inappropriate anything. But even then, they turned a blind eye to a kiss or two. 

She went on autopilot to her home room, thinking and thinking and thinking. Marina barely noticed first period was starting until half the classroom had emptied. 

She got up from her front row seat and went to the back to sit next to Callie. The brunette’s book bag was practically bulging with letters and little gifts. She was already working on a lollipop she had been given. 

“Want some?” Callie gestured to the haul she had dumped out on her desk.

“Yes, thank you.” Marina grabbed a few Hershey kisses from some ruby red saran wrap thing. 

Hmm, maybe she should’ve gotten something physical as well. Pearl had quite the sweet tooth and wouldn’t turn up her nose to free candy. Perhaps food would’ve been the right way to go. 

“Do those kisses taste bad or something?”

“Huh?” 

“You aren’t taking notes.” Callie gestured to Marina’s practically blank page filled with a math equation for how far she’d have to arch her back to reach Pearl’s height. 

“Oh no, I-I just well um...” 

“Tell meeeeee!” 

“Well I’ve j-just been worried I made this song for Pearl and I’m not very confident she’ll like it.” 

“Aww, that’s so adorable! She’ll totally die of happiness I’m sure!” Callie answered at a fairly not quiet volume and somehow the teacher heard not one word. Plus, nobody looked conscious enough in first period to care. 

“Are those from Ahato?” Marina quickly changed the subject. She had noticed the headphones around Callie’s neck earlier anyway. They were light blue and green with pink accents. Callie’s eyes lit up at the question. 

“Mhmm! They left them in my locker. I love them, I keep breaking my earbuds but this wire is super strong!” Callie tugged on the cable that was at least three times thicker than normal. 

“Oh so they went with my suggestion of reinforcing it.” 

“The what?” 

“Well, you use a soldering iron to take the wire and you know what nevermind, they look good Callie!” Marina halted her explanation as the other looked like she had zoned out to another universe. 

“Thanks!” Callie chirped cheerily and started going on and on about her last camping trip and how her and Pearl should come too sometime. 

Second, third, fourth, and fifth all came and went but Marina was stuck mulling over her possible gift choices. She could still quickly run out and buy something. The store was barely a few blocks away and she could sprint pretty fast. 

It wasn’t very thoughtful though and the most romantic holiday of the year deserved some thought. Pearl deserved more than just a mediocre present. 

Marina found herself torn between her original idea and a new one. Would Pearl think her too cheesy? The older girl often complained about romance movies being too disgustingly sweet. 

Before Marina could stew further in her options, she spotted Marie trashing a few presents. At least she had the decency to do it away from most people’s eyes. 

“Hi Marie, how’s it going?” Marina greeted, setting down her lunch tray. Marie was alone, with no Pearl in sight. 

Weird. Usually Marie and Pearl were being sarcastic assholes together. Their words, though Marina’s definition wouldn’t be too far off. 

“I’m getting a bit sick of this holiday.” Marie tried in vain to get all the clinging sparkly glitter off her hands. 

“Huh why? Isn’t it nice to get showered with gifts?” 

“Well yeah I deserve them all, but some just go way too far.” 

“How can you go too far?” Marina clutched her at her granola bar, suddenly worried about her plan. 

“One guy stood up and saronated me in front of the whole hallway. It was awkward as hell and then I told him I had no idea who he was and walked away.” Marie smiled like she had a delightful box of bamboo shoots. 

Was that really so awkward? Would Pearl just walk away if Marina did that? 

“Oh um that sucks.” Marina replied when she realized she hadn’t given a response. 

“For him yeah, so anyway I heard your finally taking a stab at Miss Mopey.” 

“Miss Mopey?” 

“You know, lonely lesbian sadsack shortstack? 

“I’m not following.” 

“Pearl.” Marie deadpanned as dry as, well Marie. 

“Oh well yeah I mean um well I’m just hoping this is the right thing and um-“ 

“Trust me, that idiot wouldn’t-“

“Marie!” Four came barreling up between the lunch tables, not quite stopping as she stumbled into a kid sitting next to them. 

“M-Marie uh h-here!” The blonde tossed a box of candy in Marie’s face and ran away, knocking down teens like rag dolls in her rush to leave. 

“Huh, wait did she put a...a hot dog in there?” Instead of chocolate, the tray had been taken out and a single, slightly smushed hotdog was in the center. 

“I wasn’t bready for this.” Marie grabbed the hotdog and took a bite. Hmm, pretty good if not a bit cold. 

“Anyway Marina, she’d be an idiot to turn you down over a song. Well, more so than usual.” 

“Eeek! Who told you about t-that?” Marina frantically glanced around her but all she got back were some weird looks for staring. 

“You really think Callie can keep her mouth shut for more than one class?” 

“Oh right.” Marina felt a bit embarrassed but it was Callie, she wasn’t the kind to blab to everyone she saw about something. 

...

Wait, no let’s just put that thought back in the old noggin for now. It would save Marina at least some sanity. 

“Yeah, well I better go find Four before she sets off the fire alarm or something. She’s so needy.” Marie didn’t look nearly as annoyed as her sentence implied and left to find her disaster girl. 

Marina checked her phone, one more period till she saw Pearl. She scrolled through her list of daily reminders to waste the rest of the time. 

0\. Eat Breakfast. Check. 

0\. Get ga-

The bell chimed it’s deafening call and Marina hurriedly stuffed her phone away and got up. She could do this, she had to do this! 

—-

Marina spotted Eight in the art room, splashes of color coating her hands. An indistinguishable green blob was on her canvas. 

“She’s going to love it!” Marina mouthed as she passed by and the younger girl smiled wide and nodded in response. 

“Yo, enjoying sucking face day?” Pearl didn’t sound very enthusiastic when Marina entered the music room. 

“Er well...” 

Before Pearl could open her mouth again, the teacher walked in. They didn’t have much time to say anything else with the man constantly calling out anything that wasn’t singing. 

“Alright ladies, and Tim.” Tim waved in the back, a brown dog stretched across his bicep. 

“Next week we’ll start preparing the music for the spring show. Okay, that’s all for today. Have a nice weekend.” 

“Mar? You coming?” Pearl was standing at the door, backpack slung over her shoulder. 

“Huh? Oh yes sorry.”

—-

They suddenly slowed down and the once fierce motorcycle sputtered and coughed before stalling. 

All around them was nothing. Empty plains spanned on either side of the road. They were at least a few miles away from their destination. 

“I’m getting serial killer vibes here, is it because I dissed Valentines’s day?” Pearl knew how much Marina adored watching mushy gushy chick flicks. 

“What? Oh no, I um forgot to fill my bike up with gas.” Marina pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course this just had to happen. Maybe the crabs would make use of her little spread on the beach. 

No no no! She was sure she had remembered to fill up the bike. Hadn’t she checked it off? Marina looked at her list and sure enough it wasn’t checked. 

“Alright, I guess I’ll just do it here. Could I have your attention?” She pulled out her keyboard and sat on the ground. 

Pearl nodded and sat on the cold dead grass across from her. 

Marina started playing, a lovely little melody that was light on the ears. It sounded like it was meant for someone else, not crude obnoxious Pearl. 

Wow, Marina’s voice was like melted butter. It was smooth and guaranteed to clog up arteries and cause heart just imploded disease. Even if the arteries thing wasn’t true, Pearl still felt mesmerized by the performance. 

Marina was watching her, a weird sort of look in eye that got Pearl flushed in the face. She almost didn’t realize it had ended till she heard Marina exhale. 

“Did you like it?” 

“Fuck yeah I did!” Pearl jumped up and Marina followed suit. 

“R-Really?! So you-“ 

“I’m sure your crush is gonna love it. I’ll cut a bitch if they don’t!” Pearl cracked her knuckles as if she was in front of the person. 

“Pearl no I-“ Marina tried to cut in, she had it all wrong! 

“Right, I guess you wanna go back home and see them huh?” Pearl sounded bitter, like she had just swallowed a whole tub of baking soda. She was looking down at her shoes. 

“You’re not letting me-“ 

“It’s fine, I’ll get Nigel to come pick us up he’ll-“ 

Pearl froze when Marina’s soft lips crashed onto hers and would’ve fallen backwards if it wasn’t for Marina’s tight grip on her waist. It was a needy kiss, a hot desperate lip lock. 

“Do you get it now?” 

Pearl blubbered, completely and utterly red as a rose. She started then stopped, started again, nope she had stopped. 

“Hello? Earth to Pearl?” Marina wondered if she had broken the other girl. 

“Y-you like m-m-me?!” 

“Of course I do! I wouldn’t have kissed you for nothing. You um l-like me right?” 

“Well I-I well you see I uh have been...” 

“Take your time.” Marina soothed, as much as she wanted an answer, Pearl should be comfortable giving it. 

“I’m not very g-good at this I uh wish I could be more s-smooth.” 

“I won’t laugh at you, so could you please answer?” Marina genuinely asked, no jokes no judgements. 

“Well f-fuck, yeah I d-do...” Pearl buried her face in Marina’s shirt, muffling herself. 

“What was that?” Cute, she didn’t know Pearl could act so demure. 

“I said yes I fucking like you!” Pearl screeched out, glaring up at Marina. 

“Pearlie!” Marina tackled her to the ground, hugging her tight. 

“Oof! Pearl swore she heard her bones crack. Well, whatever. 

“Guess this is karma for your guitar strings.” 

“Wait, you’re the one who broke those?” 

Marina had thought she had done it in her sleep or something. She had even looked up ways to counteract sleepwalking. 

“Er hey can we get back to the snogging part now?” Damn it, stupid Pearl and her stupid mouth! 

“Honestly, how did I fall for such an idiot?” 

“Who the hell knows.” Pearl grinned as Marina shut her up with another warm kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative Title: If Pearl Only Had a Brain~
> 
> Anyway hope you all had a rad Valentines’ day!


End file.
